Roots and Ruin
Roots and Ruin is an ongoing series where we take a look at the stories that helped develop Southern Gothic Fantasy into what it is today. Each blog post in the series will examine a short work from the roots of the genre. In it we will provide context on the author, post the story itself, add footnotes to help annotate concepts you might be unfamiliar with, and sort the story into one of the following five phases:
Phase 1: The Borrowed Castles - 1830s - 1860
America didn't have castles, so those who wanted to write gothic literature shifted the setting to manor homes. In the south, plantations proved to be a perfect fit. But while the locations were specifically southern, the supernatural elements weren't tied to the culture by and large, remaining pretty firmly European in their sensibilities.
The Rupture: The Civil War - 1861 - 1865
This is not a phase, instead it is the catalyst that shakes the genre out of it's romanization of the South. With much of the South in ruins the genre had to evolve to cope with the trauma.
Phase 2: The Transition - 1870s
It's hard to be scarier than war. Writers of this period began subverting the supernatural trope, and made the true horror things like disease, isolation, sins of the past, all very human elements. The genre became a tool of social critique, rather than just 'ooo spooky' scribblings. But ruin was everywhere, and the decay took root.
Phase 3: Local Color & Conjure - 1880s - 1900s
Once authors had proved their was an appetite for Southern stories could be tied to specifically regional elements, authors began drawing on authentic African American folk magic like hoodoo, Appalachian mysticism, and localized superstitions. Magic wasn't a European import anymore.
Phase 4: Modern Southern Gothic - 1900s - 1970s
As the genre left the 1800's in the review it solidified. The central theme became the inability of the region and its folks to let go of the past. At this point the supernatural and the psychological are more often than not indestiquishable.
Phase 5: Neo-Gothic & The Southern Weird - 1970s - Present
In the contemporary era it's a lot more than just haunted plantations. The locations become as varied as the South, ranging from small towns to hollers to swamps to strip malls. The supernatural moves far beyond ghosts and curses as Urban Fantasy, Cosmic Horror, and Magical Realism join the mix. Importantly marginalize voices gain in importance as they reclaim their folklore.